Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville (10 May 1752 – 23 April 1821) was a French

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

and later a marshal of France and Deputy Grand Master of

Grand Orient de France The Grand Orient de France (, abbr. GODF) is the oldest and largest of several Freemasonic organizations based in France and is the oldest in Continental Europe (as it was formed out of an older Grand Lodge of France in 1773, and briefly absorbe ...

.Dictionnaire de la Franc-maçonnerie, page 138 (Daniel Ligou, Presses universitaires de France, 2006)

Biography

Bournonville was born at

Champignol-lez-Mondeville Champignol-lez-Mondeville () is a Communes of France, commune in the Aube Departments of France, department in north-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Aube department References

Communes of Aube Aube commune ...

Aube Aube ( ) is a French departments of France, department in the Grand Est region of northeastern France. As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube (river), Aube. With 310,242 inhabitants (2019),

. After service in the colonies, he married a wealthy Creole, Geneviève Gillot L'Étang. After his return to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, he purchased the post of lieutenant of the

Swiss Guard The Pontifical Swiss Guard,; ; ; ; , %5BCorps of the Pontifical Swiss Guard%5D. ''vatican.va'' (in Italian). Retrieved 19 July 2022. also known as the Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard,Swiss Guards , History, Vatican, Uniform, Require ...

of the

count of Provence The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

. During the French Revolution he was named lieutenant-general, and took an active part in the battles of

Valmy Valmy () is a rural Communes of France, commune in the Marne (department), Marne Departments of France, department in the Grand Est Regions of France, region in Northeastern France. In 2020, it had a population of 282. Geography The town stands ...

and Jemmapes.

Minister of War A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

in February 1793, he denounced his old commander,

Charles François Dumouriez Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez (; 26 January 1739 – 14 March 1823) was a French military officer, French minister of foreign affairs, minister of Foreign Affairs, French minister of Defense, minister of War in a Constitutional Cabin ...

, to the Convention, and was one of the four deputies sent to watch him. Handed over by Dumouriez to the Austrians on 3 April 1793, Beurnonville was not exchanged until November 1795. He entered the service again, commanded the

Army of Sambre-et-Meuse The Army of Sambre and Meuse () was a field army of the French Revolutionary Army. It was formed on 29 June 1794 by combining the Army of the Ardennes, the left wing of the Army of the Moselle and the right wing of the Army of the North. I ...

and

Army of the North The Army of the North (), contemporaneously called Army of Peru (), was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was freeing the Argentine Northwest a ...

, and was appointed inspector of infantry of the

Army of England The Army of England () was a command of the French Revolutionary Army that existed from 1797 to 1800. History On 26 October 1797, the French Directory established the Army of England with the goal of invading Great Britain. By the end of the ye ...

in 1798. He was sent as ambassador to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

in 1800, and to

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

in 1802.

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

made him a senator and count of the empire. In 1814 he was a member of the provisional government organized after the abdication of Napoleon. He followed

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

to exile in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

, and after the second restoration was made marquis and

marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

(1816).

Notes

References

* * ;Attribution * Endnote: ** See A Chaquet, ''Les Guerres de la Révolution'' (Paris, 1886). ''Source:'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Beurnonville, Pierre de Ruel, marquis de 1752 births 1821 deaths People from Aube Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Marshals of France Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French Freemasons 18th-century French politicians Ministers of war of France Members of the Sénat conservateur Counts of the First French Empire Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Bourbon Restoration Commanders of the Order of Saint Louis Ambassadors of France to Spain Ambassadors of France to Prussia Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe